The wide square in front of the Ninja Academy was full of movement from early morning. Different teams were gathering here and there. Quiet voices, sharp looks, and clear tension filled the place. This was where the first exam would be held, and every step taken here carried the weight of the future.
Louis, Sakura, and Hinata, gathered near the main entrance.
From the very beginning, Sakura grabbed Louis's arm without hesitation, as if his presence gave her a sense of stability among this unfamiliar crowd. Louis did not comment. He simply stood calmly, his eyes moving across the square like someone watching a stage where he already knew how the scenes would unfold.
By pure coincidence, Sasuke, Naruto, and Shino's team arrived at almost the same time.
The moment Naruto's eyes landed on Louis, his expression changed. With his usual impulsive energy, he stepped forward.
At that exact moment, without realizing it, Hinata moved lightly and grabbed Louis's other arm, partly hiding behind him.
Naruto smiled with clear challenge.
"Kiyosuki! I'll defeat you in this exam. Just wait and see!"
Louis did not reply immediately, but before he could speak, he felt a sharp gaze fixed on him.
Sasuke.
The two exchanged a brief look, then Sasuke spoke in a calm voice, without any emotion.
"Thank you."
Silence followed for a moment. The teams exchanged looks, clear questions on their faces. Why was he thanking him? And for what?
Louis then smiled lightly and said in a natural tone, as if it were obvious:
"No need to thank me. It's the duty of the older brother to take care of the younger one."
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, while Sakura frowned slightly.
Sasuke did not comment. He completely ignored Louis's tone, turned around, and said coldly:
"Come on. Let's go to the exam location."
He moved forward as if the matter was not worth more attention.
Everyone followed him until they reached a narrow hallway where a large group of candidates had gathered in front of a room marked 301. The scene was strange; some young ninja seemed to be guarding the entrance.
Sasuke stared at the sign for a moment, then lifted his head confidently.
Just like in the original story, he exposed the illusion.
This was not room 301…
It was actually room 201.
Faces around them changed, and whispers rose.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes and, before moving, threw a quick sideways glance at Louis, a look with one clear meaning:
I exposed the trick before you.
Louis understood the look immediately.
He smiled calmly and shrugged indifferently, as if it did not matter to him. He was about to move toward the stairs leading to the real exam room when he felt something unusual.
Hinata…
She was shaking.
Her body was tense, her breathing tight, and her fingers were digging into his arm without realizing it.
Louis raised his head and looked around to understand why.
Then he saw him.
Neji Hyuga.
He was standing not far away, his eyes fixed on Hinata with clear hostility, cold and cruel, more like she disgusted him than interested him.
Louis's expression changed for a moment. Then he looked straight at Neji and said in a sarcastic tone, loud enough for everyone to hear:
"Wow… what a pitiful person."
The atmosphere froze.
Neji heard the words clearly, and for a moment he lost control.
He turned sharply, veins bulging from his neck, and shouted:
"You! What did you just say?!"
Louis answered without hesitation, in a calm but provoking voice:
"I said you're pitiful. What? Are you deaf? Or do you want me to help wake you up from your daydream?"
Sparks flew between the two.
Even the air felt tense.
Neji stepped forward, fists clenched, face red with anger, while Louis stood completely calm, both hands in his pockets, his gaze steady and fearless.
They were about to clash.
But before things went further, Lee stepped in quickly, standing between them with his hands raised firmly.
"Enough! This is the exam site. You must control yourselves!"
Neji stopped with difficulty, breathing heavily.
Louis, however, shrugged again without care and continued in a calm but even more provoking tone:
"If you still need someone to wake you up from your ignorance… I'm available anytime."
"You…!"
Neji was truly about to explode this time.
But Louis no longer paid him any attention. He had done all this to try to wake Hinata from her unnecessary fear.
He simply turned around, signaled to Sakura, then to Hinata, and led them toward the real exam room. His steps were steady, as if what just happened was nothing important.
Neji stared deeply at the Uchiha symbol on Louis's back, looking as if he was thinking of a way to take revenge for the earlier insult. Then he put his hands in his pockets and headed toward the exam room with Tenten.
From behind, Sasuke watched the scene in silence.
He looked at his brother differently this time, with pure surprise, as if seeing him for the first time.
Why did he provoke him like that?
While thinking, he heard a voice calling out:
"You're Uchiha Sasuke, right?"
Sasuke turned around, along with Naruto and Shino, who had been watching quietly.
It was a person with very thick eyebrows, wearing tight green clothes.
Louis glanced at Sasuke and Lee from the corner of his eye, then chose to ignore them.
They arrived at the exam room, where many people were already waiting inside.
Before Louis could think about anything else, someone suddenly attacked him and wrapped both arms and legs around his body.
It was a beautiful girl with blonde hair.
"Kiyosuki! I missed you! Why haven't you asked me out lately?"
It was Ino.
Ino looked at Sakura and Hinata, who were still holding onto Louis, as if trying to connect the dots. But before she could say anything, someone suddenly asked,
"You're Uchiha Kiyosuki, right?"
When those words were spoken, everyone in the room turned their eyes toward Louis.
The Uchiha had always attracted attention, and this time was no different.
Louis looked at the person who asked the question. The man was clearly taller than him, wearing glasses, with gray hair.
Louis recognized him instantly.
The man spoke again,
"Sorry to interrupt your gathering. My name is... "
Before he could finish, Louis suddenly interrupted him,
"I smell a disgusting snake on you."
"Huh?"
The man looked clearly shocked by those words.
Louis ignored his surprised expression and continued,
"Sorry. I don't talk to snake followers."
Louis then turned away and, without being affected by Ino who was still clinging to his body, continued walking to look for a suitable place to sit and take the exam.
*** ***